GET THE MOST FROM YOUR GOPRO WORDS and PHOTOS by JAIME SHARP
PROfile
Jaime Sharp was just a youngster when he began shooting with his first SLR camera— a hand-me-down Minolta that was already older than the 11-year-old. Coincidently, it was the same time he learned to paddle, and the two passions have since gone hand-in-hand.
DIGITAL EXTRA: Click here
to watch explosive action from the Grand Canyon.
1 the trip 2 3 SEE IN POV [1]
The Point Of View (POV) camera fad has swallowed our recreation world whole, and with it comes a flood of marginal DIY action videos and photos. What makes POV cams so much fun—and potentially so powerful— is that you can mount them in the craziest places and get mind-blowing compositions. You just need to know what works.
Learn what field of view your GoPro or similar POV captures, so you can visualize before you shoot. Take lots of photos and you’ll start to get a feel for how wide the shot will be, and how the perspective pushes objects away and flattens height. Add-on LCD screens are great for must-get angles, but they use up a lot more juice.
MOUNTING MATTERS [2]
My go-to mounts for diversity and changing up angles on the fly are suction arms. I use RAM mounts, one with a short hand-sized arm and another with a two-foot pole. Both arms can be quickly repositioned, used
handheld or strapped to objects for more non- traditional uses. Photos and video captured from a high or low perspective are far more impressive than the head-shoulder-cockpit shots we’ve all seen a zillion times. However you mount it, don’t forget to tether your POV to something bombproof. I have lost three GoPro set-ups to waterfalls, waves and roads.
WATER AND LIGHT [3]
Don’t let moisture ruin your shoot. Rain-X is priceless for keeping the camera lens free of water droplets. To prevent fogging inside the housing when you are shooting in cold water or on sunny days, slip silicone desiccant tabs inside the housing to absorb moisture.
POV cameras’ light metering systems are ir- regular and notoriously finicky. GoPro images often look bland despite good composition and angle—highlights are blown out, shadows are too dark, blacks are dull and colors are erratic. The final key to making your GoPro images really pop is post processing with photo editing software like Adobe Lightroom.
Grand Canyon, Arizona
A trip down the Grand Canyon is a spectacu- lar must-do whatever your experience level. I’ve had the pleasure of paddling the canyon twice, once in winter using sea kayaks and taking 10 days, and again in summer with raft support for 16 days. The scenery is stark, surreal and absolutely beautiful. Side hikes lead you into hidden wonderlands roamed by bighorn sheep and ringtail cats. Get a permit, round up some folks with intermediate to advanced wilderness tripping and whitewater skills (it won’t be hard once you have the permit) and just go.
IF YOU GO: Putting on the Colorado River at Lee’s Ferry, most trips travel 226 miles to Diamond Creek or 279 miles to Pearce Ferry. You need to be self-sufficient and have strong rough water paddling skills, though most of the class III–IV rapids scattered along the way can be portaged. Permits are available by ap- plying to an annual weighted lottery system, and there’s less competition for the colder months. In winter, expect frosty nights and chilly days; in summer, be prepared for sear- ing heat, scorpions and occasional flash floods.
OUTFITTERS: Too many to list. Most offer raft and whitewater kayak rentals, shuttles and food catering. If you want to sea kayak, bring your own plastic rough water boats (and pack light).
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